Juan Sancho as Prince Escamón in El Potosì submarino

Taking a break from his acclaimed Baroque repertoire, Juan Sancho turns to zarzuela, appearing as Prince Escamón in Emilio Arrieta’s 1870 work El Potosí submarino. This fantastical title by one of the true masters of the genre is being revived at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in a new production by Rafael R. Villalobos, conducted by Iván López Reynoso. The Sevillan tenor is joined by a distinguished cast featuring Manel Esteve (Misisipí), Carolina Moncada (Celia), Alejandro del Cerro (Cardona), María Rey-Joly (Perlina), Mercedes Gancedo (Coralina), Rafa Castejón (Pale-Ale), and Marina Fita (Caracolina). The premiere takes place on November 19, with additional performances on November 21, 23, 27, and 29.

This is not Juan Sancho’s first foray into zarzuela: in 2009 he appeared as Don Urbano in the long-awaited revival of Clementina, Luigi Boccherini’s only theatrical work, where, as noted by zarzuela.net, he ‘served the part with elegance, using a falsetto of great expressiveness.’